My 15 yr old daughter wanted to share her perspective on recent thoughts about tolerance. What do you think about her idea?
During this graduation season, many speakers have been booed off campuses and schools (or worse) because they hold unpopular opinions. What’s puzzling is that people always do it in the name of “tolerance,” while they themselves are not being tolerant of other people. I think our society has a faulty view of tolerance. We claim to be tolerant, yet when someone disagrees with us, we shut that person down immediately. It’s important to understand that there will always be differing beliefs, and not all of them are correct. In fact, some ideas are very wrong. But everyone should be treated with dignity and respect. We should listen to different ideas and explore them in depth, whether we agree with them or not. In this way, we can come to a better understanding of right and wrong.
9 replies on “A Teen’s Perspective on Tolerance”
Hi Everyone! Thanks for your generous comments. My daughter was pretty excited to read them. A few days earlier, she sent her brief article to the local newspaper editor but never got a response. I’m encouraging her to share more. We enjoy watching and reading the content here on Bill’s site. It has been a rich source of discussion in my family.
I added this comment elsewhere, but it fits here quite well.
“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Friday
BTW – i think your daughter will be just fine.
Great quote. Thanks for sharing that!
Your daughter at 15 is smarter than I was at 25. Good job!
Well said. You should consider getting her a year membership for her birthday sometime. My parents gave me the money for mine for last Christmas.
What a great idea. Currently we have our computers next to each other on a table and we watch Bill’s videos together.
At 15, your daughter has a better understanding of tolerance than roughly half of the adults in the country. We need her, and others of her clear understanding. For several generations, clear understanding has become increasingly rare.
Your daughter is wise beyond her years. My guess is you are responsible for her wisdom at such a young age. Much respect to both of you.
I totally agree!